Which Scope Rings Do You Like?

Another Hawkins fan here, wish they would get their 30mm offset bubble in stock so I could order one.
In stock and ready to rock for 30, 34, and 35mm!

 
I’m still using the standard Leupold rings/bases,


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Me too, and have used them a long time on several rifles. You don’t see them listed much as favorites, but you don’t see much negative responses either. I don’t know if people don’t like them because of weight, chance of slipping, or what. Wish I knew why people preferred others over the Leopold.
 
Iv gone through more than I should have. Last few years Iv used Talley, Warne, seekins, Hawkins, arc and spuhr. From here on if it’s 2 piece I like the arc, super easy install and built like tanks, really like my spuhr hunting mount too. That said the Hawkins, and seekins are absolutely usable as well. Was never a fan of the talleys or Warne, screw heads just seemed cheap and the talleys feel like a definite step down in quality from the others.
 
Does anyone look at the level? I rarely shoot over 1500 and have yet to look at it.

Frequently. Having an offset one that can be easily checked with your weak side eye while keeping your other eye in the scope is much preferable to having one on top of the scope, in the ring base, or built into the stock/chassis.
 
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I've really liked the Seekins rings I put on my rifle. Lightweight but are really solid.
 
How are you guys calibrating your levels? I've tried to run a starrett 98-12 on a parallel riding the action raceways and dial the cap in to that....but it's an impossible task.

Now I just look for something I know to be plumb and rock on. My situation may be different after many years operating mobile cranes , seeing plumb is super easy.
 
How are you guys calibrating your levels? I've tried to run a starrett 98-12 on a parallel riding the action raceways and dial the cap in to that....but it's an impossible task.

Now I just look for something I know to be plumb and rock on. My situation may be different after many years operating mobile cranes , seeing plumb is super easy.

Plumb line hanging down range. Reticle to match the line, level set to match the reticle. Could care less if my action or bore are level, if that’s even a thing. This it the reason I don’t like ring mounted levels. I don’t have a level on a few rifles and some on others. Shooting matches and off the tripod on broken ground I find myself looking at it more. Having it there also makes me open both eyes for the shot.

Definitely not the end all be all I don’t think, but I also think they have their place at times.

I don’t think they are needed at all for the ranges most guys are killing things.
 
The theory on the action level to the rings and reticle is that there's no induced cant from any variable.....but again, even at 1500 i fight the wind more than cant.
 
How are you guys calibrating your levels? I've tried to run a starrett 98-12 on a parallel riding the action raceways and dial the cap in to that....but it's an impossible task.

Now I just look for something I know to be plumb and rock on. My situation may be different after many years operating mobile cranes , seeing plumb is super easy.

This applied to dialing scopes.

The relation of the cross hairs to the bore isnt important. You can shoot a scope canted. There are some videos out there proving this with accuracy past 1k yards. the relationship to the crosshairs to the world is very important to be plumb with the level. I just hang a plumb line at 30 yards and use that to level my crosshairs and then set the level to the level crosshairs. I never never level off the turret. I havent had a turret be perfectly level to the cross hairs yet out of several Nightforce and SWFA.

My barrett fieldcraft I actually took apart and intentionally canted the scope some. I was struggling with holding the cross hairs level with the gun shouldered in pocket sitting or prone. So I twisted the scope 3-5 degress and now I shoot the gun better. The 7lb scoped gun just didnt fall in my pocket right and torquing the gun to get the cross hairs level was causing me in induce torque into a light weight gun and it was showing me downrange that I was torqing in on the shot break. The cross hairs not being plumb to the barrel drives my OCD crazy but my 500+ shooting has improved. I dont think level crosshairs is critical as much with dialing scopes as you are moving the recticle to the point of impact. I have no data to support this though.

BDC scopes it matters a whole bunch that they have to cross hairs level as your trying to get the bullet to fall behind the plane of the vertical cross hairs. I have experienced not holding the gun level and getting horitzonal stringing on the same vertical plane.
 
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Dialing vs holding with the reticle will have the exact same result if you’re canted. It’s no more or less important for BDCs vs dialing. That assumes your scope is quality enough that dialing moves the reticle along the respective crosshair.

As far as your SWFAs and NFs go, are you saying the physical turret cap is machined/set out of level? Or have you had your scope on a tracking board - does the turret move the reticle exactly vertical/horizontal when the reticle is initially set plumb/level?

Physical machine cap as well as exposed turret dial out of level. Not by much and not out of the lines on the level. I havent tested all of my scopes but the ones I have tracked true on a scope tracking target and real world shooting.
 
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